The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-03-18
ALASKAN EXPEDITION.
ACROSS THE SNOW BOUND COUNTRY
FOR THE STETcHEoN RIVER.


ing with the Natives-Runaway Dogs
Hospitality to TraveIers-A Sick Indian.
Roasting Salmon.
The Stecheon in length, width and vol |
uune of water ranks among the great |
rivers of the earth. 1t Is the mighty |
Amazon of the north. If you can hnd
any reliable map of this country trace the |
course of this river until it turns west
and ven Will find trading post calico
Lonata; but as we could gam tlme III
going across the country instead OF Tor
lowing the river to this point we brought
boats that are combination II boat ana
sledge. They are the native fiat pottomed
ones. made by stretching sealskIn over
q wooden frame and fastening 1t there by
walrus skin. ~
A stirring trade was now started with
the natives for full supply OF fur cloth-
ing for the entire company, and prices
went up 200 per cent, the natives acGu-
ally making prices according to the ne
mand The garments are fur frock Win
a hood attached, fur pants, sack Doots
and q fur sleeping bag, all with the Iur
inside or double-that is, made OF TWO
skins in thickness.
We took possession of log house built
by some American in the past year, ouG
now unused We piled the earth well
round to the height of ten feet and put
up a Yankee cooking stove The na1lVes
looked on with establishment at the spirit
and energy Of the strangers
To procure dogs was the all important
matter. but with the aid of the natives
thew were soon obtained, and at high II
one day. some months after landing, we
act out. We started, cheered on by the
shouts and salutes of firearms OF thoSe
left behind. We followed the UnirolIa
creek. the ice over which we drove was
covered with snow that was not nara,
which made the sledglng heavy soon
after striking this stream the banks De
came lined with spruce, fir and blrch:
MANY of the streams were large. one OF
the ,sIedges lost part of the bone with
which it was shod, making it draw heaV-
ilv. This provoked the dogs, who we're
no better behaved than they should DE.
Two of them gnawed their harness ana
ran back home.
clear place on the bank was found
lust as the light began to fade. Here we
started fire and prepared to make our
first out door camp in Alaska. Fire was
started, bacon was cooked and 1nVlgorat-
ing tea made Refreshed by a good sup
DER we rolled ourselves up in our fuI
bags and lay down to sleep with nothing
above us but the branches OF the trees
and the blue sky. In the morning we
awoke refreshed, and found that toul
more of the dogs had gnawed loose anc
left for home.
One driver went back after the run
away dogs, and after Harvesting up W.
started, some of us helping the dogs IL
the hard places After five hours traVe
we came to an Indian village, and as TIT
usual custom is to assign house to al
strange people we had one set aside To-
us with a fire already built, and in orde
to keep the heat in the hole in the roo
was covered. The smoke, the retained
smell of stale fish, the OdOr OF group
dogs, mingled with perfumes of various
kinds, made it anything but desirable
place The hole was uncovered, the hr
replenished and the cooking commenced
Tho atmosphere was becoming pure
when some dogs who were fighting o.
the roof tumbled through the hole. Tn
pots were overturned and the room file
with the smell of burning hair.
The people of this village were bus
making baskets, fish traps, snow shoe
and sledges The children were fat an
happy. The owner placed portion of h
platform at our disposal. We cleaned
of dirt, covered it with our furs and pr
ceeded to make ourselves at hom
Fresh reindeer meat and wild fowl wei
procured, and, with hot biscuits, gave L
good supper.
We resolved to await our dogs here an
devote the time to the study of India
life and character. Both sexes us
tobacco. Smokers generally discharge tn
smoke from the mouth. In this wa
much ofthe essence of the tobacco escapes
These people swallow the smoke, and
this way lodge about the stomach an
lungs what would otherwise be lost
We had an application from sic
Indian, who asked to be cured, and sai'
Much hurt here's We applied blistt
of Spanish fly, and the next morning Il
invalid was in high spirits. We expectt
to find the breast raw, but the blister hs
only left clean spot on his skin. II
man was cured, and our reputation
good and great medicine men was esta
lished.
Our dogs arrived, and we pushed {
I'D stream for several days and halted
another Indian village for rest. He
several warm springs kept the water fir
from ice at all times. Here the fine
salmon abound, and when all 9th
sources of food fail, give support to t
entire village and many people rou
about. Sticks thrust through one
these fish as he comes writhing from
water and held over the fire without II
ther fixing until roasted, makes a
hcious morsel fit for king.
Leaving the stream we struck dir
across the snow covered country Iof
Stecheon river, and after eighty days
hard travel were on its broad surfa
1t seemed indeed sea, for it's oppos
shore was three miles away, with an
casional island intervening. Over
snow covered, hummocky surface we p
ceedeG cautiously, and arrived at Lont
in the early winter or dark season. N
we would be without the heat or light
the sun for AS days. Here we left
sledges and dogs and toiled on snow sht
up the river until / ,00S miles lay betwe
MS and the point where its waters reach
ocean Herbert Bartlett in The Curre
~ X Significance of TattOOing.
In a recent issue of the The Wen
Anthropological Society DR.. M. Halb
landt discusses the origin, extent and s
nificance of tattooing. He does not
ieve that it was at first meant merely
ornament. He attributes it to a religio
significance, the figures described on t
skin having some reference to the totem
or ancestral god of the clan, and servil
as a protection to the wearer. In latt
days, when this meaning had faded t